


the truth about forever

by allhalethekings



Series: Tumblr Fics [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt, stuck in an elevator AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 18:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3701517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allhalethekings/pseuds/allhalethekings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I cannot believe you!” Stiles hisses, barely making it into the elevator before the doors closed. Derek gives him a blank look, his arms already feeling too heavy from carrying all his things from Stiles’s apartment. “How could - what - what the hell is the matter with you?”</p><p>Derek stays silent. He has no idea what to say or do so he opts for his default state of self. Silence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the truth about forever

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt from the Sterek Writers Network, "Sterek stuck in an elevator after a fight"

“I cannot believe you!” Stiles hisses, barely making it into the elevator before the doors closed. Derek gives him a blank look, his arms already feeling too heavy from carrying all his things from Stiles’s apartment. “How could - what - what the hell is the matter with you?”

Derek stays silent. He has no idea what to say or do so he opts for his default state of self. Silence.

Thing is, it’s not his fault. Stiles had been acting kind of awkward and distant so when Derek finally got a text from him asking him to come over at ten in the morning, Derek doesn’t feel too enthusiastic. He freaks out internally throughout the entirety of the trip to Stiles’s apartment and barely holds it together when he walks in only to see a bunch of his stuff piled by the entrance of Stiles’s bedroom.

To be honest, Derek could have been nicer when Stiles forgot to do all the dishes over the weekend that he was loft-sitting for Derek the time he’d had to make a work trip to LA. And so what if Derek also refused to watch Star Wars with him? Scott still hasn’t seen it and they’re still friends, right? Well, okay it’s different because he doesn’t want to be friends with Stiles. He doesn’t want to be Stiles’s bro like Scott. He wants to be everything to Stiles - his boyfriend, his partner, his everything, really.

The sight of Stiles cleaning up did nothing to put him to ease. The red light in his head had immediately begun to flash, the hair on his arms standing up, with his heart jackrabbiting in his chest. He wanted to makes this all easier - just go into a state of numbness and accept that it was nice while it lasted. Maybe this thing with Stiles was never meant to be forever. Maybe it was something that would give Derek something to latch on to, something that would make everything worth it in the end.

“Silent treatment, Derek? Are you serious?”

Derek shrugs feebly, thumbing at the dark purple crew neck sweater Peter had gotten for him from some high end store. He hadn’t cared too much for the colour but Stiles had immediately latched onto it, claiming it in an instance. For all that he hadn’t seen the sweater, he knew it’s what Stiles slept in the most so it was a straight bullet to the chest to see it hanging off the back of the couch.

Stiles snarls at Derek, just about to start his tirade when they hear a screeching noise followed by the elevator coming to a stuttering stop.

“What the—“ Stiles mutters, pressing on the buttons for different floors but it does little to restart the elevator. “For fuck’s sake.”

Stiles runs a hand through his hair and slumps against the opposite wall of the elevator. Derek looks at him through the corner of his eyes, throat drying up at the sight of him. Suddenly, he’s tired. He’s spent years teetering on and off the edge about Stiles. He’s gone through everything from wanting to rip his spleen out to wanting to bend him over the new kitchen table and fucking his brains out. Stiles has made him feel like he’s worth something. Kate made him feel dirty and used and left him torn apart. With Stiles, it’s been the opposite. And sure, Derek’s got a lot of shit to work through but Stiles makes him feel like he can work through it. He gives Derek strength and power.

They’re quiet for an unbearable twenty minutes before Stiles straightens up, eyes blazing at Derek.

“I can’t believe you thought I was breaking up with you!” He explodes. “Why - Derek - fuck, what do I have to do to make you think I’m in this for the long haul?”

Derek looks away. “I’m not - there’s better options. You can’t blame me for thinking—“

“Fuck that shit! There are no other options. Not for me, Derek!” When he refuses to say anything more, Stiles slams his hand against the wall. They fall quiet again.

“What do I have to do, Derek?” Stiles whispers and the tone of his voice just about breaks Derek. He’s seen Stiles do a lot of things and say a lot of things and be strong enough for both of them but he’s never seen Stiles as broken as this. “What do I do to make you believe that this is real?”

“I don’t - I just—“ Derek starts. He takes a deep breath. “I’ve never had someone like you before.”

“You don’t have me now!” Stiles bursts out, making Derek flinch back and wow, it’s like someone’s ripping Derek’s heart out of his chest. Because shit, wow - what? “Derek, you don’t have me now because you won’t let yourself have me - have us. I get that you have issues to work through Derek, I do, believe me, but I can’t see you live so deep in the past that you can’t see what’s right here in front of you.”

Derek turns to Stiles abruptly, “The first time I fell in love, Stiles, my girlfriend died because of me. The second time I fell in love, a psychotic bitch burned my family alive because she was screwed up in the head. So forgive me for being a little hesitant over relationships.” He drops the pile of stuff on the elevator floor, relishing the lightness of his arms. Taking a deep breath, he continues, “It’s not easy for me to think that there’s someone out there better for you; someone who’s not as damaged as me or someone who can give you everything you need.”

Derek looks down, the heat and the heavy atmosphere of the elevator making it hard for him to breathe properly. Paige and Kate are shadows over any relationship; it’s an unfortunate fact but a fact nonetheless. They’re the reason he’s only ever found minute levels of satisfaction from a long string of one-night stands while in New York and the reason that the idea of a long-term relationship is enough to give him a panic attack. It’s something he’s never really addressed with Stiles yet, not wanting to ruin anything between the two of them. He’s so lost in the thought of Paige and Kate and fire and failure that he doesn’t see Stiles sidle up to him until he feels Stiles’s warm hands on his face, turning him back to face Stiles.

“Derek,” Stiles whispers. “Will you please look at me?”

It takes a second but Derek finally looks back at him. Stiles’s face is open, eyes glossy yet bright, and small smile on his face.

“I don’t care about your ghosts. We all have them. I have Lydia, Scott has Allison, my dad has my mom. I don’t care about Kate or Paige or Laura or Peter but I care about you. And I don’t look at you through their eyes. I look at you with mine. I look at you and I see the guy who’s taken claws to his chest for me and who’s faced down Berserkers for Scott. I look at you and see everything you’re worth and nothing breaks my heart more than to see that you don’t think you’re not worth it because you are, Derek. You’re worth so much more than you think and it doesn’t matter that you don’t see it now as long as you realize that you will see it someday. And if it means that I have to spend the rest of our lives making you believe everything I just said, well, I’m okay with that.”

And Derek - he’s speechless. He stills, looking at Stiles with hope-filled eyes and lips parted in surprise because yeah, there are times where he thinks he’s undeserving of Stiles and there are times like this when he can’t believe how unbelievably lucky he is. He leans in, resting his forehead against Stiles’s and slowly puts his hands on Stiles’s hips like he’s being anchored.

“I - I don’t—“ Derek croaks, taking a deep shuddering breath. Stiles pulls him in, tucks his face into Derek’s neck, and smiles into his neck.

“I know. I love you too.”

They stay like that for what seems like ages, or at least until the elevator sputters out some noise, before it slowly begins to move again. At that, they separate, wet smiles on both their faces, before Stiles darts in, pressing a firm, reassuring kiss to Derek’s lips. It’s short and quick but filled with love and hope and promise.

They’re almost at the ground floor when Stiles snorts, “I can’t believe you thought I was breaking up with you after I cooked you breakfast and read the paper while you ate.” He gives Derek a fond, exasperated look. “You’re such a dumbass.”

“You love my dumb ass,” Derek corrects.

“I do,” Stiles says softly, giving him a twinkling smile in return.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're looking for more Sterek-related things, or hell, if you just wanna fawn over Hoechlin, Dylan O'Brien, or any of the other TW cast, hit me up at [tumblr](http://hales-republic.tumblr.com). You can also send me prompts! :)
> 
> I have [twitter](http://twitter.com/allhalethekings) too, so lets be buddies on twitter!


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